Teacher Seeks to Thwart Overzealous Investigator

ST. LOUIS (CN) – A school teacher is asking a circuit judge to halt the actions of an overly-aggressive private investigating firm hired to poke holes in the teacher’s lead poisoning claim. Adam Dixon, currently a public school teacher, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit currently pending in city court claiming that he was a victim of lead poisoning as a child from the Doe Run lead smelter in Herculaneum, Mo. Dixon says in this complaint filed in city court that the smelter hired Mid-West Protective Services to investigate his claim. “On or about or before September 23, 2012, the defendant went uninvited to the home of plaintiff’s former boss and sought answers to personal questions about plaintiff; and thereafter, at or about the same time, defendant went uninvited to the home of a co-worker teacher of plaintiff and persisted in seeking to question the co-worker at her home about personal private issues concerning plaintiff’s health and ability to work while she was involved in an activity with her son, and thereafter sought to talk with the co-worker by telephone in spite of being told that she did not wish to speak to the defendant,” the complaint states. “On or about September 24, 2012, defendant telephoned a former public school teacher of plaintiff on the school telephone and sought information including information about plaintiff as a student, and implied to the teacher that defendant was speaking with other teachers of the plaintiff.” Dixon claims Mid-West’s action violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1966. “Defendant is well aware of the humiliation, embarrassment and professional denigration and harm which defendant’s uninvited communications and contacts with plaintiff’s co-workers and bosses cause and/or may cause the plaintiff, and that defendant’s questions concerning plaintiff’s health and medical condition and its effects upon plaintiff professionally and which will or likely will cause plaintiff loss of esteem by his peers, co-workers and bosses, and has and will cause him to suffer further anxiety and harm due to severe emotional distress and anxiety resulting from the conduct of the defendant,” the complaint states. Dixon claims Mid-West has a history of using questionable tactics. “In May-June of 2012, this same defendant was cited by other plaintiffs in Cause No. 22052-10613, for harassing and intimidating witnesses and interfering with the relationships of other plaintiffs and their friends and their friend’s family members, and acting contrary to the law of the State of Missouri, and more specifically, in violation of the laws relating to the conduct of private investigators, and this defendant appeared in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Division 12 at the hearing of the citation presented by other plaintiffs in said cause,” the complaint states. Dixon is asking a city circuit judge to ban Mid-West from: disclosing Dixon’s medical condition to anyone without Dixon’s permission; personally contacting employers, co-workers and former teachers of Dixon’s; and appearing uninvited at the home of any of Dixon’s co-workers or employers. Dixon is also seeking an undetermined amount of actual and punitive damages for harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Dixon is represented by Mark Bronson of Newman, Bronson & Walls. Mid-West in the only named defendant.